Dragon Ball Prime: The Origin of the Super Saiyan
by dasayles
Summary: Before Goku, Vegeta, and Gohan, the Super Saiyan form hadn't been achieved for 1000 years. Yet the golden haired pinnacle of the Saiyan race, did not come from pure blood. Why is the Super Saiyan's hair golden? Why do they radiate a brilliant light? Join us in this novel explaining the orgins of the greatest transformation in manga history.
1. The Crash that Spawned Greatness

**Dragon Ball Prime: The Origin of the Super Saiyan**

 _ **Ch 1: Lost Pride: The Crash that Spawns Greatness**_

The night falls and 5 year old Trunks sits in his bed trying to go to sleep. He rolls over once, twice, three times, and finally he jumps out of the bed, determined to hear a bedtime story from either his mother, or if he's lucky his father.

The halls of the capsule corporation are black as the new moon. However, when Trunks stumbles into the hallway, the lights illuminate the halls. Trunks bypasses two hallways, and makes a left down the third, he goes down a flight of stairs and finally walks up to a massive archway. The doors of this room are closed, but they remain unlocked; just in case Trunks wakes up in the middle of the night.

Trunks takes a deep breath and opens the doors. When he takes a step into the room, Bulma sits up and says, "Are you okay, sweetie?"

Trunks replies, "I can't sleep mommy. I want a bedtime story."

"I have the perfect story for you, Trunks."

"Uh, mom do you mind if dad tells me a story?"

"I don't think your father would…"

Vegeta sits up in the bed and says, "GO BACK TO YOUR ROOM AND GO TO SLEEP, BOY! I DON'T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR WHIMPERING!"

Hearing his father scream, Trunks turns back, and begins crying. As the doors automatically close behind him, Trunks hears Bulma arguing with Vegeta.

When Trunks finally makes it back to his room, he lays under the covers sobbing. He slams his fists into this pillow, as he says, "Father is right. I need to stop whining about wanting to hear a story, and just go to sleep."

As he finishes his statement, Vegeta opens his door and says, "Sit up, Trunks. I have a story to tell you. It's a long one, but I guarantee that you'll be asleep by the time I finish."

Trunks sits up and smiles saying, "I didn't think you were going to tell me a…"

Vegeta interrupts, "I'm here aren't I? SO LISTEN UP! This is a story that my father used to tell me. Understand son, I am a prince… The prince of all Saiyans. I am son of the Lord of the Saiyans, named Vegeta after every Lord of the Saiyans since the Great War. I am destined to be the greatest of us all. But it was not always so. That fool King Kai told that clown Kakarrot the story of the Tuffles, and their war with the Saiyans. However, he got the timeline all wrong. Listening to him you'd think that my father won that war, but Great War happened over 25,000 years ago."

"My story begins immediately after that. This is the story of the first Super Saiyan. The father of all Super Saiyans, without him there would be no Super Saiyan."

Trunks looks at his father, and says, "Father what's a Super Saiyan?"

Vegeta stands to his feet saying, "It is the ultimate form, a form that only the strongest can achieve. Pay attention, son, this is a Super Saiyan." Vegeta closes his eyes takes a deep breath and in a burst of energy, transforms into a Super Saiyan. Light radiates from his body, as Trunks sits in awe of his father's awesome transformation.

Vegeta returns to his normal state and begins, "Listen well my son, and learn. Blood, sweat, tears, and pain, have become his mistress. A weary look envelopes Vegeta, my ancestor's, visage, as he looks upon the fertile valley.

The Great War ended finally bringing peace into the life of a mighty warrior. Vegeta turns back toward the massive chasm that holds the remaining 35 Saiyan warriors, 21 male and 14 female. They wait with a reverent patience as their leader passes through them. Each of the Saiyan lord's steps carry majesty with it.

Vegeta exhales, as he reaches his destination. A giant stone chair carved directly into the side of the mountain, covered in runes and symbols the likes of which can only be found here, the throne of the Lord of Saiyans, the rests here. Vegeta turns to his people and falls to his knees. He reaches out to the rest of the Saiyan population, and bows to his people saying, "I do not deserve to be here as your leader. Your strength has led to the end of the war. I never thought that I'd be tired of fighting, but I say this to you… Rest peacefully my brothers and sisters, for tomorrow we begin the rebuilding."

As he speaks, the people all lift their right fists into the sky, shouting, "HAIL VEGETA RULER AND LORD OF PLANET PLANT!"

Hearing his people shout, Vegeta stands to his feet saying, "Plant? That is a foul Tuffle word. The name of our planet should represent what we are. It should represent the strength that we had to exhibit to retake our home."

A Saiyan steps from behind Vegeta and places his hand on Vegeta's shoulder and says, "Yes, you are right nephew… This planet should be named after our strength. We shall name the planet strength. From this planet shall be called . In the common tongue VEGETA." And thus the planet Vegeta was born.

For fifty years Vegeta rules the people, nurturing their strengths and correcting their weaknesses. At the age of 75, Vegeta still possesses the appearance and mind of a 40 year old human. However, he is not unique in his longevity; for all Saiyans retain their youth in order to maintain their warrior's mettle, the result of the evolution of a warrior species.

The Saiyan's warrior mettle is vital to any Saiyan Lord, for who should rule the Saiyans, but the strongest. From his throne high in the mountains of , (Musharu), Vegeta looks down upon his people, tending to their needs and settling disputes. Sitting upon his throne, Vegeta watches as the population of his people grow from a measly 35 into a thriving 850.

Every 5 years a tournament is held in which the next Lord of the Saiyans will be crowned. For 10 tournaments Vegeta has dominated. Vegeta's domination causes a great stability to hold over the Saiyan people, he knows the people and they know him. However, even the most stable structures become shaken by an object with great energy.

Grunting as he rubs out the soreness in his slightly arthritic elbow, Vegeta calls to his most highly decorated servant. A massive Saiyan rushes into the room and takes a knee saying, "My liege, you called for me?"

"Yes Cinnatos, I need you to be ready to lead the people."

"But my lord, you are the strongest. It was determined on the battle ground not even two years prior. You defeated me again for the fourth time."

"I know Cinnatos, but you are young, and strong."

"What makes you think that I need to be leader? You're here and you're just as strong as I have ever seen."

"I'm tired Cinnatos, I can feel my body betraying me, but that's not why. I just have a bad feeling about today."

"My liege, you have a better sense of danger than most I've ever known, but it can't be that…"

Suddenly the cave around them begins to vibrating violently, and the sound of crumbling stone completely silences their conversation.

Rising from his throne, Vegeta turns to Cinnatos and says, "We must see what's…"

Silencing Vegeta, a humongous ball of fire falls from the sky, crashing into the jungle beyond the Saiyans' mountain home.

Without another word, Vegeta rushes from the cave and leaps into the air. Cinnatos springs into the air following closely behind his ruler with a smile of anticipation shining on his face.

As Vegeta and Cinnatos hurl their bodies into the air, gravity begins to pull down on their massive frames. However, as gravity pulls them both down, they both focus their minds on a spiraling sphere of energy swirling within each of their abdomens. As they take hold of the energy, they will the sphere of energy upwards. Instead of falling toward the ground, both Cinnatos's and Vegeta's bodies begin to rise and both fly through the air with avian precision.

After flying for nearly 35 miles, Cinnatos and Vegeta reach the smoldering pile of rubble. Cinnatos looks up into the jungle canopy and says, "Whatever fell from the sky ripped a tunnel through the jungle. The path above almost looks circular…as if the falling object was spherical."

"Shhhhhh…" Vegeta holds his arm in front of Cinnatos, signaling him to use caution and to remain silent. Vegeta cautiously steps one foot in front of the other, as a lion would when stalking antelope. As they go further toward the smoking wreckage, the ground slopes downward into a massive ditch nearly 40 feet deep.

As Vegeta and Cinnatos stalk their way closer and closer to the stone, Cinnatos steps in front of Vegeta saying, "My lord, I should touch the stone first. If the stone is dangerous it is better to lose a guardian than to lose a Lord."

"You could not be more wrong Cinnatos. It is your role to protect me. It is my role to protect the people. If this is a danger to my people, I shall take the risk." Vegeta says, as he pushes Cinnatos to his right.

"My lord, you would deprive me of my duty if you do this. Please allow me to keep my honor and check the stone first."

"…Very well, Cinnatos. You may touch the stone first."

With a smile on his face, Cinnatos bows to Vegeta and turns to the stone. Sweat beads form upon his forehead, caused by the heat radiating from the stone. Nervous, yet intrigued, Cinnatos reaches out and places his hand flat upon the surface of the stone. To his surprise, the smoking stone is cool to the touch. "My lord, the stone…It's cool."

Vegeta steps from behind Cinnatos and places his hand upon the stone. Again the stone is cool. However, as Vegeta rests his hand on the stone a hissing noise bursts forth and the stone cracks open, and a large banana shaped piece of the stone lifts into the sky.

On the underside of the rising banana piece of the stone, a soft cushioned pad is exposed. Vegeta scans the padded stone and says, "Curious, this stone is padded as if it were some sort of vessel." He moves his eyes downward toward the larger portion of the stone and sees five fingers appear over the edge of the stone. A grunting noise comes from the opening, and a spiked head of hair emerges from within the stone.

Vegeta steps toward the stone and says, "It is some sort of outer space craft."

Rising from the opening of the ship a boy emerges. Cinnatos steps next to Vegeta and says, "M'lord, do you see this? He appears to be a Saiyan. How could this be, from the war only Nappa and his tribe could have come from space? And look, he doesn't even have a tail. Is this how Nappa and his people have come to…"

Vegeta scans the boy in his entirety and says, "Silence Cinnatos, this boy could not be a Saiyan from Nappa's tribe. Nappa was a brother to me and he held to the teachings of Musharu stronger than even I. No Saiyan from his tribe would ever remove their tail."

Vegeta turns to the boy and says, "What brings you here, alien?" Though the boy stands over 6 feet tall, his face resembles that of a 16 year old child, thin chiseled and handsome.

The boy says, "Ah so you speak the basic language. That is good."

"Alien, I asked you a question. What brings you here?"

"First of all my name is Shineta! (Shin-Eat-Ta), besides that I'm no alien I look like I could be your son."

Cinnatos steps from behind Vegeta and says, "Don't play coy with us boy. You lack a tail. All Saiyans have tails so don't pretend that you are of the people."

Shineta smiles, "Very well, as I said my name is Shineta, I am a Sola… I…am exile. I was expelled from my race for my great strength, and because of my… unique birth."

Vegeta smirks as he says, "Your great strength?"

"I was amongst the strongest of my people. My people are known throughout the universe as a people of power, protectors of the weak. For eons we alone have guarded the universe from the greatest of evils."

"Then I would like to test this… great strength."

Shineta bows to Vegeta and takes a battle stance saying, "If you wish to test my strength, I will happily oblige."

Vegeta smiles and takes his battle position. In the blink of an eye, both warriors leap through the air towards each other. Both warriors pull back their right fists preparing to throw a flying right hook. The two warriors meet in the air and Shineta's blow connects with Vegeta's face, just as Vegeta's blow connects with Shineta's. The force of both attacks are so powerful that it emits a shock wave that causes Shineta's ship to rock within the crater.

After making contact with his target, Vegeta flips backward preparing for his next attack. However, just as he lands Cinnatos grabs Vegeta by the arm and says, "My lord, save this battle for the tournament. You need only wait three years."

Shineta sees Cinnatos grab Vegeta and says, "You do not wish for your master to continue?"

"It is not my place to force my wishes upon my lord."

"Then let your master fight."

Vegeta breaks free of Cinnatos's grip and vanishes punching Shineta in the face, sending him flying. Vegeta releases an exasperated sigh and says, "Do not spurn my general. His loyalty is unquestionable. However, he is right. If you wish to fight me, you will do it as all Saiyans do, with proper time and placement. We hold a tournament every five years. If you wish to battle me, that is your time, not now amongst the foliage and leaves. Also, judging by the strength of your attack you're going to need that time to train."

Vegeta smiles at Shineta and says, "Train well young lad. In three years you'll face destruction when you witness my power." The three warriors lift into the sky and head toward the mountain cavern that houses the Saiyan people.

As they fly over the valley Vegeta speaks to Shineta, "The Saiyan valley is layered into three tiers. The outer tier resides at the lowest elevation, the land is fertile with lush vegetation. The land is properly tilled and layered. This is the agricultural center of Saiyan Society. The weakest of our people stay here. They work to feed our people they are our labor force. With strength comes position, and a lack thereof forces you here."

Vegeta nods to Cinnatos, and Cinnatos slows his air speed and turns back to Shineta saying, "You are not of royal blood, and have not earned a high place amongst the people. Therefore, you must remain here in the agricultural center. Trust that you will not be mistreated. We treat our weak and frail with sympathy and give them much, but we do not allow them the amenities of the strong. Fend for yourself, find and grow food, live, train, and grow strong. In three years, present yourself at the tournament, there you will prove your worth, and earn your rank amongst the people."

Shineta smiles and nods his head in acceptance as he sees Cinnatos and Vegeta rocket away from the outer ring of the Saiyan valley toward the inner circle.

Shineta lands on well-managed farmland filling the valley. He takes a single step to allow the soft green grass to ruffle between his toes and beneath his feet. Hoping to build his strength to an untouchable level within the next three years, Shineta visits every cave and shelter in the entire outer ring. With each visit, Shineta makes an offer to the Saiyans: train with me and I'll make you stronger than the greatest generals in your armies. However, not a single adult will agree to train with him.

Living in the outer ring is comfortable to the Saiyans who dwell amongst the crops, and the thought of rising higher in the ranks does nothing to persuade them. Leaving dejected from nearly 30 homes, Shineta's hopes begin to dwindle. However, as he walks away from the thirtieth home, a teenage boy sprints from the entrance of his father's cave.

The teenage boy finally catches up to Shineta breathing heavily, and says, "My name is Borokla. Though my father has no desire to leave the outer ring, I have no desire to stay. Will you allow me to train with you so that one day I'll be strong enough to be your general? My father wants me to live off the land and keep the people well, but I want to be one of the leaders of the people."

Shineta smiles and says, "You are most welcome I will promise you that you will be a general. I'll show you how to fight and in three years you join the tournament alongside me."

For the next three years, Shineta trains Borokla three times per day. The teenage Saiyan's power grows exponentially, and as promised in three years, Borokla's power rivals even the greatest of the Saiyan generals.

The sun rises over the eastern peak of Mount Musharu. The morning dew begins immediately evaporating, which leaves a beautiful golden mist in the air. Pouring over his closed eyelids, the sunlight illuminates Shineta's body waking him with its serene rays. A sense of peace floods over him as he looks to the sun and says, "Hello my friend. Today is the day." Suddenly the blaring roar of a horn fills the air. Shineta allows his eyes to shut slowly, allowing the gentle warmth of the sunlight to drench him with its power.

Suddenly, Shineta feels a presence towering above him, he tenses his body and quickly opens his eyes. Borokla's familiar form looks down upon him with a pleasant smile. It's about time we get moving, master Shineta, the preliminary rounds begin an hour after sunrise."

Shineta rises to his feet and glances over Borokla's appearance. "You wear common farmer's clothing to a tournament? You sure you want to appear as a farmer in a tournament of this caliber?"

"Master Shineta, this is not only a matter of pride for me, but it also makes my opponent underestimate me. When has a farmer ever gotten past the first round of the tournament?"

"Ah…so this is a strategy?"

"Taught to me by you. I am eternally in your debt. I'd never be here if it weren't for you."

"Take it as a gesture of good will. If I win the tournament I expect you to be one of my greatest generals."

"But what if I win? I've got a few tricks up my sleeve, Shineta."

"Oh… Shineta now, huh…what happened to master?"

"We'll see…"

The two warriors embrace and begin their accent toward the inner circle of the Valley.

As the two hover above the arena, Shineta notices the magnificence of the architecture. The arena rests inside the peak of the mountain, carved into the very stone. Hand carved and etched into the various striations of the arena, each seat leaves enough room to sit comfortably, but saves enough space to house more than 300 thousand seats within. The likenesses of Saiyan Lords litter the common areas of the arena. The statues of these lords consist of a special type of limestone and quartz that allow the statues to glisten with every color of the rainbow.

Each statue demands the attention of all who pass it, but none more so than the statue of the current Lord of the Saiyans. Vegeta's statue sits at the highest point in the entire arena. Unlike the other statues, Vegeta's statue is not made of the quartz limestone combination that all the other statues consist. Vegeta's statue is formed completely from black Katchin, and white steel (Katchin and Iron alloy). Shineta lands next to Vegeta's statue and notices the perfect likeness of Vegeta, from his chiseled muscles to the scar cutting through his left eye etched in white steel.

As he and Borokla progress further into the arena, Borokla notices over 40 Saiyans in a perfectly straight line. He leads Shineta away from Vegeta's statue and into the line. Borokla places his hand on Shineta's back and says, "Can't you just feel the excitement filling the air. All of these warriors are here for the tournament."

Shineta smiles and says, "All of them are here to throw in their names for Lord of the Saiyans. I'm only here to challenge a warrior whose power rivals my own. None of these warriors would even survive a sparring session with him."

"I know. I've seen Lord Vegeta in action. His power is unparalleled."

"We shall see, my young Borokla…We shall see."

The preliminary rounds end quickly, of the 40 warriors only seven remain, including Borokla, Cinnatos, and Shineta. The current Lord of the Saiyans, Vegeta, fills the eighth slot.

Finally getting confirmation from the Tournament judges, the arena guards finally open the gates. As the gates open, thousands of Saiyans flood into the gate. The commotion echoing from the smooth walls of the arena is almost deafening. However, as the last Saiyans pour into the gates of the arena, an announcer's voice bursts over the roar of the crowd saying, "Welcome to the Tournament of Saiyan Lords, after some grueling preliminary matches we are finally ready to begin the quarter-finals. The match ups for the tournament semi-finals are, Borokla vs. Paprik. Borokla, a farmer from the lower ring has really been turning heads throughout the prelims. Our second quarter-final match is Shineta, a virtual unknown, vs. Tunipe, a battle hardened warrior, who was one of Lord Vegeta's greatest commanders in the Great War. Those are your combatants on the Lower Bracket. On the other side, Cinnatos, the general himself, vs. Be-at, and Vegeta, Lord of all Saiyans vs. Tullece in the Upper Bracket! Today promises to be a most exciting quarter-final round, and now LET THE GAMES ! BEGIN!"

Both Borokla and Paprik step out onto the warm sands of the arena grounds. As they near each other, the crowd suddenly goes completely silent. Borokla smiles at Paprik and says, "The silence before the storm right?"

Paprik laughs and says, "There will be no storm. A strike from me will be like lightening. One flash and it's over."

Borokla nods his head toward Paprik, suddenly the loud clang from a giant gong at the top of the arena, and Paprik launches himself toward Borokla. Approaching from Borokla's right side, Paprik throws a right hook toward Borokla's face. However, just before the blow can connect with him, Borokla drops to the ground. Laying flat on his back, Borokla kicks both his feet into the sky launching Paprik upward. Borokla pushes against the ground and flips himself onto his feet and in the blink of an eye leaps into the sky.

As Borokla ascends, he takes hold of the swirling energy welling up within his stomach and wills it towards Paprik. Paprik regains control of his movement and stops his ascent. However, as he does Borokla, moving with the speed of a missile, strikes Paprik in the chin with a soaring uppercut. This blow again knocks Paprik upwards. However, as his body rises, Borokla jets above Paprik and grips both his hands together. Using his hands like a mallet, Borokla slams his hands into Paprik's rising body. The blow sends him hurtling into the ground with such speed that it creates a pillar of dirt over 20 feet high.

Borokla changes directions and flies with incredible speed into the pillar of dirt. With an incredible thud, Borokla lands inside the cloud of dust, causing the dust to clear away from the force of his impact.

The crowd covers their eyes as the dust flies into their faces. The dust eventually settles, and the crowd regains a visual of the arena floor they see Borokla standing with his right foot on top of Paprik's back.

Vegeta looks down on his son and sees that he has finally fallen asleep. He smiles and then grunts, as he walks from his son's bedroom.


	2. The Tournament of Lords

_**Ch 2: Lost Pride: The Tournament of Lords**_

The following day, Vegeta sees Trunks in the back yard doing push-ups. Vegeta walks over to Trunks and laughs saying, "What are you doing boy?"

Trunks looks up to his father and says, "Borokla went from being a farmer to actually winning in the first round of the tournament. I'm going to train so that I can be Lord of the Saiyans."

Vegeta puts his foot on Trunks's back, stopping him from doing push-ups. He looks down on his motionless son, and says, "You can't even become a Super Saiyan, boy. Focus on becoming a Super Saiyan." Vegeta takes his foot off Trunks's back walks into the training room laughing as he says, "Lord of the Saiyans, that child what a fool."

Later that evening, Trunks is lying down in the bed, and is thinking about what his father said. "How can I become a Super Saiyan like my…"

Before Trunks can finish his statement, Vegeta walks into the room, and says, "You ready to hear the next chapter to the story, boy?"

Trunks is ecstatic, as he rolls on his stomach and rests his head on his hands. Vegeta begins, "The next day, Paprik's warm flesh beneath Borokla's foot begins to squirm. With a sudden shift, Borokla slams his elbow into the back of Paprik's neck. Paprik's squirming ceases and the announcer's voice erupts all over the arena. "Victory goes to Borokla, the farmer from the lower ring. The next bout will commence as soon as we remove…" The announcer stops his sentence as Borokla carries Paprik's limp body from the arena.

Seeing Borokla carry Paprik from the arena, the announcer says, "He's carrying Paprik from the arena like a sack of garbage. Could you come and get my trash next. HAHAHA." Hearing the announcer's joke, the crowd bursts into laughter.

Borokla drops Paprik's body on the ground and lifts his hand toward the announcer's booth. Borokla closes his eyes and focuses on the swirling energy within him. However, instead of lifting the energy into the sky, he squeezes the energy into a small sphere. As the energy inside of Borokla grows smaller, a pulsating sphere of energy forms in his palm. With a loud scream, the energy races from Borokla's palm and crashes into the announcer's booth, causing a huge explosion.

As the smoke clears from the explosion, the announcer crawls from beneath half a ton of rubble saying, "Stupid farmer. You won't be making it to the next round." The announcer leaps from the rubble and onto the arena grounds.

Borokla smiles, as the announcer steps in his direction. Fury seems to seep from every pore of the announcer's body, creating a palpable aura around him. Each step burns the imprint of his foot into the sandy ground beneath him.

As the announcer finally arrives within an arm's reach of Borokla, he rears back and throws a punch toward Borokla. However, just before the punch contacts Borokla, Shineta appears behind the announcer and wraps his arms beneath the announcer's armpits. Holding the announcer tightly in his grasp, Shineta whispers, "Be calm…You wouldn't want the next Lord of the Saiyans angry with you as he claimed his thrown. Now would you?"

The announcer turns his head toward Shineta and says, "You're right…" He turns his head back to Borokla and says, "Forgive me." Borokla smiles and calmly bows his head.

Shineta releases the announcer and smacks the announcer on the buttocks saying, "Better get back to booth…" The announcer turns toward the booth and notices that it is now a smoldering mound of rubble. The announcer grinds his teeth in anger, and leaps into the air, flying to the mound of rubble that was once the announcer's booth.

Shineta turns the announcer's direction and moves to the booth. Shineta turns to him and says, "I can't repair it right now, but I can at least clear you a seat. Step back." Shineta places the palms of his hands together and begins sliding them up and down across each other. Slowly, as he pulls his hands apart, a bright golden light forms into the shape of a sphere. Shineta grunts and the golden light swells, growing in both diameter and magnitude, until it covers his body and the pile of rubble that was the announcer's booth.

The light becomes so bright that every Saiyan in the arena covers their eyes, shielding themselves from the overpowering light. Moments later, the light fades and the sphere within Shineta's hands dissipates. The crowd joins in a collective sigh, as they witness that the pile of rubble has completely vanished. The announcer leaps onto the flat platform that once held the announcer's booth and shouts, "This new warrior has displayed an impressive feat, clearing the entirety of the ravaged booth in mere seconds. The lower ring has shown fare share of impressive feats: clearing the ring of the defeated and cleaning messes. Were it not for the purpose of this tournament, I think I'd go to the lower ring and just look at these two clean!" Hundreds in the crowd bursts into laughter, and the announcer continues, "Well, let's move on with the tournament!" The crowd bursts into cheers as the announcer continues, "Coming to the ring now, Cinnatos and Be-at!"

Shineta looks at Borokla whose facial expression shows pure rage. Shineta then flies over to Borokla and wraps his arm around his shoulder saying, "Don't worry, Borokla. You'll have your chance to wipe the floor with that announcer."

Borokla smiles and says, "Yeah when I'm the Lord of the Saiyans. He'll be my sparring dummy."

"That'll be a sight. Imagine it, Borokla of the lower ring, Lord of the Saiyans."

"This mistreatment ends today."

"What would you do?"

"The lower ring will be like the upper ring, and the Upper ring will become the new Low Ring."

"That solves nothing Borokla. The problem isn't the placement, the problem is in the system itself. To mistreat others based on strength will only lead to prejudice and segregation. When I am Lord of the Saiyans, you will all be equal under only my generals and me."

"I don't want equality I want payback."

"Then it is good that you fight me in the next round. The throne will not fit you. If you have the ability to motivate others, perhaps you'll make a good general."

"You think you will defeat me? You won't even make it out of the next round. Tunipe will knock you out."

"You actually believe that? Borokla the little training I've done with you is nothing compared to the…"

The announcer's voice breaks into their conversation saying, "Could all non combatants please leave the arena floor?" Shineta looks to his right and sees Cinnatos, he turns toward the announcer bows and exits the arena.

Borokla turns to the announcer and closes his hand into a fist, and flexes his bicep as he slaps his hand onto the muscle of the bicep, and walks from the arena.

Cinnatos and Be-at's match lasts for nearly 10 minutes. The crowd bursts into cheers as Cinnatos lands the final blow, a right cross that connects with Be-at's jaw, which knocks him unconscious.

After the final blow, the announcer says, "Can we get one of the two lower ring contestants to come and clear the arena for the next match? No no no, I'm only kidding." As the crowd laughs hysterically, the announcer says, "Now for your next quarter final match. Shineta versus a warrior who needs no introduction, his great victory at the battle of Botana's gate is still the stuff of bedtime stories. Brothers and sisters I present to you TUNIPE!"

Suddenly the sand covering the ground in front of Shineta begins pouring into the arena floor. The sand falls away revealing a hole. Slowly Tunipe rises from the hole. His demeanor is terrifying, but his face remains locked in a smug smile.

Shineta bows his head to Tunipe as he speaks just loud enough for Tunipe to hear, "You are one of their greatest war heroes. The people need their heroes. Do not accept this fight. It will bring you great shame."

Tunipe bursts into laughter and screams to the arena crowd, "Do you wish to hear what the lower ring clown has said to me? He tells me that I should not accept this battle. It will cause me great shame. Well my people, how about I defeat him in one blow and show him shame?"

"Very well then…Tunipe is it? Your shame shall equate to the shame your people have bestowed upon my friend and brother Borokla."

Tunipe takes a battle stance and leaps toward Shineta. However, just as he leaps Cinnatos rushes to the gate and screams, "DON'T DO IT TUNIPE! HE'S BATTLED VEGETA!" However, his warning comes too late. Tunipe throws a left hook and strikes Shineta on the right cheek. However, Shineta does not attempt to block the blow. He takes the full force of the blow with only his jaw blocking the attack.

Without lifting a finger, Shineta unleashes a surge of concentrated energy from his body. This energy is dense and so potent that it blasts Tunipe away. Tunipe tumbles through the air till he slams into the opposing wall of the arena. Upon contact, a Saiyan shaped dent forms in the wall, knocking Tunipe unconscious.

Shineta slowly walks toward the wall. Upon reaching his opponent, he lifts Tunipe's limp body from the ground and throws him over his shoulder shaking his head as he says, "Embarrassing."

Utter silence envelopes the arena, as one of their great heroes falls from what appears a blast of air. Without warning the announcer bursts into an uproar over the loud speaker screaming, "OH MY GOODNESS! Never before has one of the great leaders of our military fallen so quickly, and to a citizen of the lower ring to boot. Ladies and gentlemen I present this round's victor SHINETA!" Suddenly the crowd bursts with excitement.

An older Saiyan man sitting on the third row turns to a younger Saiyan saying, "Perhaps this year we'll see Lord Vegeta pushed to his limits."

The younger Saiyan turns to the older Saiyan saying, "You must be kidding right? Lord Vegeta hasn't lost since I've been alive, and it appears that his power is even greater this year than before. Lord Vegeta is going to wipe the floor with this chump."

"Well you're still young you don't know how to judge a person's power."

"Who do you think you're talking to old man?"

"I'm talking to…" The young Saiyan throws a punch at the older Saiyan man, but before the punch connects, the old man grabs the boy's fist and twists his arm behind his back jerking the boys elbow into an awkward position. The older Saiyan leans over from behind the boys back to his ear saying, "As I said lad, you're young you don't know how to judge a person's power." He shoves the boy away and chuckles.

The announcer comes over the intercom saying, "Ladies and gentlemen, apparently these fighters from the lower ring have been hiding something from the rest of our society. I guess working in the fields and cleaning up our waste does a body good… The lower quadrant has dominated one of our great generals and a semi-finalist from last year. What can we expect in the semi-final round from these two? I can't wait to see. Moving along…now we begin our final quarter final bout. Between two warriors who need no introduction. Coming to you now, the warrior, named for the Saiyan god of power, one of the strongest warriors in Saiyan history, ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Tullece."

Tullece's name echoes throughout the arena, the doors on the eastern wall rumble and sand falls to the ground as the doors slowly creak open. As the light from behind the door pours into the arena, a Saiyan body silhouetted against the bright sun, steps into the arena. Few Saiyans have straight hair, but Tullece's mane, drapes over his shoulders, falling to the middle of his back. Tullece steps into the arena light revealing his scarred body to the Saiyan people. Tens of cross shaped scars litter his chest, shoulders, and arms proof of his time as a Saiyan prisoner to the Tuffle people.

As Tullece proceeds toward the center of the arena, the announcer's voice roars over the screams of the crowd. "Tullece is exactly what we should strive to be as Saiyans, both mighty and humble. His body bears the marks of glory that battle bestows only upon those who brave the depravity of war. However, he is not the only warrior fighting in this quarterfinal bout. Coming to you now, the mightiest of our people, the hero of the Great War, the warrior after whom the planet is named. THE GREATEST OF WARRIORS, NAMED FOR STRENGTH I PRESENT TO YOU OUR LORD VEGETA!"

The trumpets burst forth with a resounding tune, which echoes throughout the entire arena. The arena crowd stands to their feet and looks toward the King's seat. However, Vegeta is no longer in his seat.

Vegeta stands in the darkness reveling in muffled cheers of the crowd outside of the gladiatorial walls. A long vertical crack appears in the darkness. Through this crack a blinding light radiates into the darkness surrounding Vegeta, and fills the room, blinding Vegeta. Vegeta embraces the light stepping further into it until his sight returns allowing him a view of the roaring crowd that has completely engulfed him. A smile passes over Vegeta's face as the announcer's voice bursts forth.

"The quarter-final match between Tullece and Lord Vegeta begins now."

Vegeta and Tullece bow to each other and Tullece says, "My lord, I know that I cannot defeat you, especially today. It seems as if you have a renewed vigor for battle. However, I will give my people a show they will not soon forget."

Vegeta looks at Tullece and says, "I'll enjoy seeing this."

Suddenly Tullece vanishes, an instant later Tullece appears behind Vegeta, and launches a spinning roundhouse kick. Vegeta senses Tullece's movement in the air and lifts his forearm to block the kick. However, the kick connects with more force than Vegeta anticipates, and causes his arm to slam into face, sending him tumbling onto the ground.

Vegeta quickly springs from the ground in a backward somersault. He lands on his feet, and looks into the sky above him, just in time to have Tullece slam his feet into the crown of his head. Vegeta's legs buckle from the force of the attack, and he slams into the ground causing a cloud of dust to surround them both.

Just as the cloud begins rising, a sudden burst of wind explodes outward instantly dissipating the cloud, and revealing Tullece standing above Vegeta with energy encompassing his hand. Tullece looks down and Vegeta and says, "I thought that would get you to put down your guard, Lord Vegeta. I've been training for 5 years in hope for this battle. This ends here with me as the new Lord of the Saiyans."

Vegeta smiles at Tullece and says, "I could tell when I saw you standing before me. Even relaxed your muscles seem significantly more toned than they were before. That is a sign of your dedication to your training." However, as Vegeta finishes his sentence, he sweeps Tullece's legs from beneath him. Tullece falls to the ground, and at the precise moment Tullece's back makes contact with the ground, Vegeta vanishes and instantly appears more than 20 feet above Tullece. Vegeta propels his body, feet first, downward toward Tullece's body. At the last moment, Tullece opens his eyes just in time to feel the blunt force of Vegeta's feet slam into his chest, snapping six of his ribs.

Vegeta steps down from Tullece's chest, and reaches down to grab Tullece's hand. Tullece grunts as he reaches upward and grabs Vegeta's hand. Tullece places his palms together as if praying and lifts his hands vertically. Vegeta places his fists together, and bows.

As Vegeta rises from bowing, the announcer's voice radiates throughout the arena, "My Saiyan brothers and sisters it seems we have a plea for mercy. Tullece has pleaded for Lord Vegeta to display mercy, and Lord Vegeta has obliged. A quick end to our Saiyan Lord's first match, but not at all unexpected. Few can stand against the might of Lord Vegeta. LADIES AND GENTLEMEN I PRESENT TO YOU, THE VICTOR, OUR LORD VEGETA!"

With this announcement, the crowd roars in excitement. His voice again rises above the crowd saying, "This will end the day's battles. The semi-finals will begin tomorrow at dawn. The match-ups will be: Cinnatos, Guardian of the Citadel versus Vegeta, Lord of the Saiyans; and Borokla, Farmer of the Lower Ring versus Shineta, The Tailless Alien.

Vegeta lifts Tullece from the arena floor and wraps his arm around Tullece saying, "Very good fight my General. You've made me as proud today as you did in the final battle. I'm proud of you."

Grimmacing in pain, Tullece manages to slowly stretch a smile onto his face and says, "Coming from you, my lord, that is the highest compliment." Vegeta takes his other hand and places it on Tullece's head, giving him his blessing, and the two warriors walk from arena floor.

The exit doors of the arena open, and waiting on Vegeta to walk through the doors is Shineta. Shineta smiles at Vegeta saying, "Impressive fight, Vegeta. I especially enjoy the way you took a beating to gauge your opponent's power. However, I must say that if you try that with me you may end up defeated before you even get to attack."

Tullece pushes away from Vegeta and screams, "How dare you address Lord Vegeta as if he is a common man! His rank is higher than you could ever hope to…"

Vegeta holds his hand before Tullece saying, "He is a fool, Tullece. Even the greatest warrior knows to show respect to the ruler of a people. You may be powerful, but all it takes to defeat the mightiest warrior is a lucky blow. I have nearly 300 warriors behind me, do you think that not one could get that blow. With me and you battling on even ground. Stay your tongue, fool. The Saiyan people would fall if you were to earn the title Lord of the Saiyans."

Shineta looks to Vegeta in awe. _I never even considered… His words wouldn't cut so deep if they weren't true._ In anger, Shineta scowls at Vegeta saying, "I will be a great Lord of the Saiyans, greater than you ever were. You… will be my guardian, answerable to my every command. Prepare yourself, for in the finals I shall see you fall…" In contempt he bows and says, "My lord." He turns his back to Vegeta and walks away deep in thought.

As he walks away, the doors to the coliseum open, revealing a sight like nothing Shineta had ever seen before. A Saiyan woman, standing in the sun's rays possessing a beauty beyond beauty. The moment Shineta sees her he falls to his knees and says, "M'lady, never in all my days have I seen a beauty who makes the summer sun look as pale as the moon. I am Shineta, and I would very much love to walk with you."

The girl smiles and says, "My name is Cetery and I am…"

Vegeta shoves Shineta to his right and says, "My daughter."

Shineta sees the anger in Vegeta's eyes and politely bows and saying, "Then I take my leave." He winks at Cetery and walks from the arena walls.

Borokla catches up to Shineta and says, "You've just given Vegeta exactly what he wants. He's going to fight with an unchecked rage tomorrow, and that may be both of our end."

Shineta turns to his friend and says, "Don't worry, Borokla. you won't have to worry about Vegeta. I'll be fighting him."

"Not if I have anything to say about it."

Shineta wraps his arm around Borokla in an amicable embrace saying, "I'm glad that you have so much confidence. You'll need it for our battle tomorrow. Let's go get something to eat."

Borokla looks on Shineta with a smidgen of disgust, but quickly changes his tune as they walk toward the dining hall. "I hear they serve the best food here. I've never had it, but I've dreamed of eating here since I was a small child."

"Well now is your chance my friend, eat up." Shineta says, as they grab their meal trays. The two sit down and laugh as they eat more than 20 pounds of food a piece.

As they finish stuffing their faces, Vegeta enters the dining hall with Cinnatos. Behind them Tullece and Tunipe follow with their trays. Shineta looks to Borokla saying, "Your people must have unimaginable skill with medical science. I mean those two were completely out of commission. They would need at least three days before they… Ah you must have a rejuvenation chamber?"

Borokla looks at Shineta as if he is crazy, "A rejuva-what? What are you talking about? They didn't take that bad of a beating. Lord Vegeta last tournament beat the semi-finalist so badly that his ear almost came off. Then he stomped the guy from the one before that to an inch of his life. Crazy enough that by meal time, both were there seemingly uninjured. We do dabble a bit with herbs, but nothing too grandiose."

"Something's going on with this, and I want to know. I'll go ask Vegeta."

"Don't do that Shineta. After your little run in with Cetery I wouldn't even approach him."

"Well if I don't ask him then I'll never know. I'm going."

Shineta walks over to Vegeta's table and waves saying, "Greetings Lord Vegeta, I was wondering what type of medical science you possess that allows people to take the beating that these two" he waves toward Tullece and Tunipe, "took, and be fine not even 2 hours later?"

Vegeta looks at Shineta and says, "First of all, alien… you do not speak to me unless you are addressed by me first. Secondly, why should I tell you or allow you access to any of our secrets."

"Very well, forgive me. I'll take my leave."

Cinnatos turns to Vegeta saying, "I should follow him to make sure he doesn't snoop around and find the Osiris leaves."

Vegeta turns to Cinnatos and says, "You don't have to. He has honor. He'll accept my words being that I am Lord of the Saiyans."

"Why do you dislike him so my Lord?"

"He exudes arrogance. Seeing my brother die in the war, it showed me where arrogance leads. Our people were nearly wiped out because of my father's arrogance, then again by my brother's arrogance. We have grown into what we are today because we have grown to take pride in our people without arrogance. I will not see our people fall back into that trap of arrogance. Have the cleaners come. We must rest." Vegeta walks from the dining area deep in thought.

As Vegeta finishes the latest chapter in the story of his people, he looks down and sees Trunks sound asleep. Vegeta places his hand in Trunks's hair, smiles down at his son, and says, "Grow strong my son. Continue training Trunks and become a Super Saiyan, goodnight." Vegeta then walks out of the room, but just as he passes from the doorway, he looks back one final time to see Trunks roll over.


	3. Monsters in Wait

_**Ch 3: Lost Pride: Monsters in Wait**_

The following day, Vegeta sits down at the table and turns to Bulma asking, "Bulma, is it true that the wife of Kakarot has had another child?"

Bulma looks at Vegeta confused and says, "Vegeta, Chi Chi had Goten almost 5 years ago. His birthday is a year and 2 months after Trunks's birthday."

Astonished Vegeta says, "So you mean to tell me that Kakarot's son was born only months after the Cell Games. Speaking of the Cell Games, Is Gohan keeping up with his training?"

Bulma smiles, "No Gohan isn't training he's been studying to get into the best high school in East city."

"Humph, school…the only schooling you need is in the school of strength."

"Vegeta, I will not have my son grow up to be some COMBATIVE OAF!"

"Oaf? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU'RE TALKING TO WOMAN?"

"I'M TALKING TO YOU, VEGETA! YOU OVERLY AGGRESSIVE OAF!"

"HOW DARE YOU, WOMAN?"

"You know what Vegeta? If this is how you're going to talk to me then I guess Trunks and I will go get him some schooling that will actually give him a future."

"WOMAN YOU…" However, Bulma is already walking from the dining room.

Vegeta simply shakes his head and says, "That woman will be the death of me. At least I'll be able to surpass Gohan at this rate, and I will once again be the strongest of all Saiyans."

Later that night as Trunks is preparing for bed, Vegeta walks into his room. He sits in a chair on the other side of Trunks's room bleeding all over the chair saying, "You learn anything important today, boy? Your mother thought that she would train your mind instead of your body. Foolishness, if you ask me, but she is your mother, and you always respect her, boy."

Trunks turns to his father and says, "You look hurt. Are you alright, father?"

"I'll be fine, boy! Concern yourself with other things."

Trunks drops his head in respect, but quickly lifts it back up saying, "Yes, sir. Maybe other matters like the battle between Cinnatos and Vegeta, or maybe Shineta versus Borokla."

Vegeta laughs as he says, "Perhaps you do understand what's important. Now where did I leave off?"

The announcer bursts over the intercom. "Now my brothers and sisters facing our Lord Vegeta is the guardian, the strongest of the rest, second in strength only to Lord Vegeta. I present to you Cinnatos!" As his name echoes throughout the arena, Cinnatos walks in with the crowd shouting, "TOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSSSSSSSS!"

Finally reaching the center of the ring Cinnatos stands face to face with Vegeta. Their builds are identical. Both bear scars covering most of their bodies, broad high shoulders, overly defined arms, a wide chest that tapers down to a thin waist, massive thighs and calf muscles that could be mistaken for oak trees.

He looks his lord in the eyes and says, "My Lord, I know that you have been training to battle the alien, but I have been training to prevent you from fighting him. I will not have our leadership be handed over to some alien scum."

Vegeta smiles at Cinnatos and says, "My young guardian, I understand your concern, but have faith in your lord. I will never allow some tailless freak to rule our people. I am the strongest and today I prove it for the final time."

"Lord Vegeta, what do you mean the final time?"

"I am stepping down from my leadership role before the next tournament. I will rule until then, but I expect you to take leadership during the next tournament. Protect this world, but as for now. That is my responsibility. Prepare to be defeated again my guardian."

The announcer's voice suddenly bursts above all the noise of the crowd saying, "The two warriors stand in the arena ready to brawl. This is sure to be the most exciting match up in the entire tournament. Why this match was not the final? How these two warriors ended up on the same side of the bracket? I will never know. But we shall see a battle like no other in the first semi-final bout. CINNATOS VERSUS VEGETA BEGIN!"

Vegeta stands allowing the cool mountain air to blow through his spiked mane of hair, focusing the entirety of his energy onto Cinnatos. Every moment of his pre-battle ritual is tailored to maximize his battle prowess by focusing speed, agility and strength into a concerted attack.

Cinnatos falls to one knee as he turns his back to Vegeta. His energy begins pouring out of his body, enhancing his senses, strengthening his muscles, and focusing his mind on the daunting task of defeating the Lord of the Saiyans. As he kneels he feels Vegeta's energy radiating behind him. To most Saiyans the amount of energy he feels would be petrifying, but for him, it is the most exhilarating feeling of all, the potential for death, the test of the full measure of his strength. Pushing all his feelings aside, Cinnatos's power explodes from his body radiating as a raging blue aura.

Cinnatos stands to his feet turns toward Vegeta and leaps toward his master. Vegeta closes his eyes and feels Cinnatos's energy race towards him. Faster and faster the guardian's power hurtles toward him until at last, Vegeta feels Cinnatos's power vanish. Vegeta quickly opens his eyes only to see Cinnatos's feet ascend above his head. Vegeta looks up and leaps into the air following behind Cinnatos.

However, when Vegeta lifts himself off the ground, Cinnatos stops his upward momentum and instantly comes crashing down into Vegeta's head. The two warriors crash into the ground with tremendous force causing a plume of smoke to rise into the air.

The thickness of the smoke is blinding to everyone in the arena, but far above the smoke, Cinnatos is giving chase to Vegeta at nearly the speed of sound. Cinnatos finally catches Vegeta and throws an overhand right hook, but Vegeta sees the punch coming and quickly counters by blocking the punch with his forearm. The strength of the punch is so great that when it hits Vegeta's forearm, the blow sends him spinning. However, spinning is actually Vegeta's desire because he extends his left leg and connects with a spinning round house kick.

Vegeta quickly combines his initial kick into a combination of spinning kicks. First a roundhouse secondly and downward swinging chopping kick then an ascending roundhouse kick. Vegeta's legs move with an astounding swiftness connecting on multiple blows. The final kick is a downward slamming kick that sends Cinnatos tumbling toward the ground.

Cinnatos hits the ground and looks up to have Vegeta's feet slam into this back. Cinnatos lays flat on the ground unable to move. The announcer says, "OH MY VEGETA HAS ENDED THE FIGHT WITH A VISCIOUS COMBO OF…" Suddenly Cinnatos's body fades away from beneath Vegeta's boots, and Vegeta looks down in astonishment. From nowhere Cinnatos appears next to Vegeta's head and kicks him with such force that Vegeta flies through the air, and slams into the furthest wall of the arena.

The crowd stands in awe at the feat that Cinnatos actually survived such an onslaught by Vegeta. Cinnatos quickly shifts his weight and in a flash he appears next to Vegeta. He pulls Vegeta out of the wall and lifts him by one arm. He pulls back his fist and slams his fist into Vegeta's face, once, twice, three times. On the fourth punch Cinnatos releases Vegeta's arm and allows him to slump down onto one knee on the ground.

Vegeta turns his head to the side and spits blood and saliva from him mouth. He turns to look toward Cinnatos and says, "Very nice, my guardian. I'm glad that you've reached this level of strength. It actually surpasses my strength last tournament, but as you said, I have been training to fight the alien. My strength is greater than that by more than five times. Now let me show you."

Vegeta then steps away from Cinnatos and squats down. He flexes his both his biceps and begins to scream. Suddenly the sand beneath his feet begins to glow with a bright orange hue, and Vegeta's power explodes. Like a miniature hurricane, the wind surrounding Vegeta blows so strongly that the sand begins twisting into a vortex.

Cinnatos stands in awe as he sees Vegeta's power swell into a tornado of sand. As he feels Vegeta's power rise, he smiles stepping forward and entering into the swirling vortex. Trying to prevent flying sand from getting into his mouth, Cinnatos covers his mouth as he says, "Impressive my lord, but if you thought I was showing you my full power then you are sadly mistaken." Cinnatos again squats down and begins powering up as well. Cinnatos's power begins to swell causing his energy to twist the air in the opposite direction of the vortex.

As Cinnatos's power climbs toward Vegeta's each of their powers cancels the others, and the swirling vortex falls. Cinnatos says, "Why would I show you my true power, if you weren't willing to show me yours, my lord?"

Vegeta smiles and says, "Who said anything about showing you my full power," and Vegeta lunges at Cinnatos. As Vegeta swiftly moves through the air, he forms a yellow sphere of energy on his right hand. He pulls back his right hand to throw a punch. However, just before the energy charged punch can land, Cinnatos lifts his left arm to block the punch. Vegeta's wrist strikes Cinnatos's forearm and the energy on Vegeta's hand goes flying toward the arena wall.

Cinnatos laughs as he says, "Probably shouldn't have telegraphed your attack so much, Lord Vegeta."

Vegeta smiles as he torques his body around Cinnatos's forearm and kicks the flying energy blast right back into Cinnatos's face. With an explosion the blast staggers Cinnatos, and Vegeta uses this opportunity to attack.

With lightning fast precision, Vegeta connects with a right hook. He uses the momentum and rotation of his punch to continue into a roundhouse heel kick. Once his foot hits the ground, he uses his low position to rotate around and do a leaping uppercut. As the uppercut connects, the force of the impact sends Cinnatos soaring through the air. Vegeta lands and in an instant is in the sky rocketing past Cinnatos.

As Cinnatos's ascent slows, Vegeta appears above Cinnatos and clenches both his fists together. He then uses his hands like a hammer and slams them into Cinnatos's chest. The force of the blow, is so great that it instantly stops Cinnatos's upward momentum and causes him to accelerate into the ground. However, just before Cinnatos hits the ground, he vanishes.

Almost instantly, Cinnatos appears behind Vegeta, nearly 300 meters in the sky, and launches a knee toward Vegeta's ribs. Just before Cinnatos's attack connects Vegeta turns to see Cinnatos's knee approaching. Before he can brace for the attack, Cinnatos's knee connects, sending Vegeta tumbling backwards.

Cinnatos vanishes from the sky and appears behind Vegeta slamming his knee into Vegeta's spine. Vegeta shrieks in pain as his momentum instantly stops and he tumbles forward. Cinnatos again vanishes and reappears, this time in front of Vegeta. He again connects with a right knee, but this time to Vegeta's stomach. The attack drapes Vegeta over Cinnatos's knee. As Vegeta hangs over Cinnatos's knee, Cinnatos slams his left elbow into the back Vegeta's neck, and as Vegeta's head falls, Cinnatos punches Vegeta in the face with a right uppercut. He finishes his onslaught with by grasping his fists together, and with all of his force, Cinnatos slams his fists into the top of Vegeta's back. The force from the blow sends Vegeta crashing into the ground and throwing up enough dirt to create a sandstorm.

As the sand falls to the ground, thunder strikes the ground, and rain begins to pour from the clouds. Each rain drop mixes with the dust cloud and creates what appears to be a brown rain. The rain begins to clear the skies and the crowd gasps as they see Vegeta plainly on his hands and knees trying to catch his breath. Blood is dripping from the Saiyan lord's swollen lip, and a mixture of sweat and rain pour from his brow. Cinnatos stand above his Lord saying, "Thank you my lord for such a marvelous battle, but your rule ends today." Cinnatos brings his hand down slamming it into Vegeta's back.

Just before Cinnatos's hand crashes into Vegeta's back, Vegeta bends his arms and raises his hips as he thrusts his feet into Cinnatos's chest in a powerful donkey kick. The kick sends Cinnatos flipping into the sky. Vegeta stands to his feet and wipes the blood from his mouth. He then spits into the sand.

Cinnatos stops his upward momentum and accelerates hard toward the ground. However, as Cinnatos approaches, Vegeta looks up to Cinnatos with a glare so sinister that it stops Cinnatos in his tracks. Cinnatos knows this look. This is the face of displeasure. Rarely does this glare ever appear on Vegeta's face, but whenever it did, whoever had offended Vegeta was no more.

Cinnatos shakes his head and says, "I will not fear you, Vegeta. I will be the next lord of the Saiyans. AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHHH!" Cinnatos explodes in energy and rockets toward the ground. Vegeta's energy explodes from his body and he leaps into the air, with rain drops splashing against his face.

The two meet mid-air and their fists crash together with such force that it causes a shockwave to travel through the air. Rain drops form into a perfect sphere surrounding the shockwave with Cinnatos and Vegeta as the center. Moments later, the shockwave dissipates and gravity takes over causing the rain water to fall all at one time dumping water over the entire arena as if a humongous pool had been flipped.

Inside the sphere of water, Vegeta's punch hits Cinnatos's right fist with enough force to cause the bones in Cinnatos's hand shatter. However, even with the shattered bones in his hand, Cinnatos continues to fight.

With his none broken hand, Cinnatos throws a left hook. Vegeta easily dodges the blow and counters with a knee to Cinnatos's ribs. Cinnatos curls over in pain as Vegeta repeatedly throws uppercut after uppercut, each connecting to Cinnatos's face. Vegeta ends his combo with a viscious elbow to the back of Cinnatos's neck that sends him slamming into the ground.

Breathing heavily, Vegeta lands next to Cinnatos and begins building energy in his left palm. Suddenly a bright blue orb begins forming. The crowd gasps as the energy builds. Each one knows what discharging that much energy into a downed opponent will kill him. However, just before he discharges the energy, Vegeta snaps back into his senses. He looks to the ground, and sees Cinnatos laying there. Vegeta quickly closes his fist dissipating the energy within his palm, and takes a knee next to Cinnatos. He places his hand on Cinnatos's back and says, "Get up young man. This match is over. I will not ask for forgiveness for beating you like this, but you have proven yourself worthy. You shall be Lord Vegeta at the next tournament."

Cinnatos rolls over exhausted and bruised. He smiles up at Vegeta and says, "I pushed your limits didn't I Lord Vegeta. I didn't think that I'd have to push so hard, but I finally got to show you my full power and full potential."

Vegeta lifts Cinnatos from the ground and wraps Cinnatos's arm around his shoulder as he says, "I thought that by raising my fighting power to more than five times greater than my original power, I'd be strong enough to just brush you aside. However, you've pushed yourself and multiplied your power by almost ten times. I am so impressed. You will make a fine Lord of the Saiyans."

Just at that moment, the voice of the announcer comes over the arena, "Ladies and gentlemen. Just as we'd thought, the battle to determine the Lord of the Saiyans has pushed our Lord and his guardian to a level so much higher than any of us could ever imagine, and look at our lord. After being pushed to his limits, our lord helps his opponent from the ring as a fighter with true class. Let's hear it for our lord Vegeta, as powerful as the planet itself, but also more gracious and merciful than any other."

Hearing the announcer say this through the arena wall, Borokla turns to Shineta saying, "I can't believe this Vegeta walks from the ring hand in hand with his opponent and is praised for being merciful and gracious. We literally carry our opponent from the ring after thoroughly defeating them, yet we are seen as the help."

Shineta considers Borokla's statement and says, "I see the hypocrisy in this, Borokla. However, how does one consider the works of someone whom they consider beneath them? They do it by criticizing and ridiculing. Until one of us proves that we are better than their torment or their criticism, we will be considered their underling. All of our actions will be mocked, except for our prowess in battle. Once the tournament is over, we won't have to worry about that anymore."

Borokla smiles and says, "That's right because I will be the Lord of the Saiyans."

Shineta smiles and begins to walk toward the arena wall.

The announcer's voice again bursts from the arena saying, "After seeing this type of battle in the Semi-finals, I have no idea if the finals will ever be able to compare, but we shall see. Before that however, we begin our next semi-final match. Coming to the arena, the warrior who dominated our great general Tunipe, ladies and gentlemen I present to you, SHINETA! His opponent, the warrior who not only defeated, but also cleaned up Paprik's mess, from the lower ring, BOROKLA!"

Shineta smiles as he walks from the arena wall. However, as he walks, his demeanor shifts from his crowd pleasing charming self, to his battle hardened menacing self. With each step Shineta's power rises in hopes of intimidating Borokla into submission before the battle begins.

From the other end of the arena Borokla steps from the arena wall. His farming clothes strikes a firm contrast to the barbarian style clothes adorning Shineta. Borokla's demeanor never wavers; always stoic and menacing in appearance. Approaching Shineta, opposite of him, Borokla takes a quick glance at the announcer's booth, and lifts his hand toward it, firing a small charged sphere of energy.

As the sphere approaches his booth, the announcer notices it, and leaps from his perch. The sphere hits the booth it explodes in a radiant display of energy. The announcer moves just fast enough not to be caught in the explosion. With his voice still amplified he screams as he hits the ground, "Stupid farmer, when his battle is over I'm going to kill him."

After hearing the announcer, Borokla's demeanor finally changes. A sinister smile dawns over his face and he finally stops walking. Shineta arrives at the center of the arena, and smirks at Borokla, as he notices the destruction of the announcer's booth. Borokla finally arrives in the center of the arena and Shineta politely bows to his opponent saying, "I hope you're ready. I want to show you what I've been doing in the time you were resting and recovering."

Borokla says, "In the time that I was resting, I was actually training my mind. Pain is nothing but an imagining in your mind. I allowed you to think that I was injured so that when we fought, which I knew was inevitable you'd be exactly where you are now, overconfident."

After his statement, Shineta bows and placing his left fist into the opened palm of his right hand. Then he steps back and begins squats into a battle posture. Borokla takes a similar posture, and begins to increase his power.

As both their powers begin to skyrocket, the very sands of the arena floor begin rising. The higher the two warriors power rise the higher the sand rises, and almost as if responding to both warrior's will to defeat the other, the very bedrock holding together the arena floor begins to crack and rumble like a 9.4 magnitude earthquake.

The intensity of the glares between both warriors is so great that the people in the stands begin standing to their feet in anticipation of the next moment. When that moment arrives, both warriors power explodes in such a brilliant light that all the people in the entire arena have to shade their eyes, missing the opening salvo of attacks.

However, as the bright light fades and crowd begins to regain their sight, they see an uncanny spectacle. Shineta attacks Borokla with such precision that it seems as if the match will be over in an instant. He begins with a straight right jab, which Borokla easily parries moving his head slightly to the right. Shineta immediately follows his jab with an overhand left hook that Borokla ducks. Using his low posture to his advantage, Borokla launches an uppercut with his right hand. However, as Borokla's fist approaches Shineta leans back and twists his body so that he is pivoting on his left foot. As Shineta completely rotates around he extends his left arm and connects with a back hand punch to Borokla's ribs sending him stumbling back.

As Shineta's body completes its revolution, he lands in a perfect battle stance, and sees Borokla charge forward. Borokla launches a leaping roundhouse kick Shineta catches Borokla's leg and twists at the hip throwing Borokla downward into the ground. As Borokla hits the ground Shineta stomps his foot down onto Borokla's chest. However, just as Shineta's foot connects, Borokla vanishes. A moment later he reappears next to Shineta with his waist even with Shineta's face. Borokla then knees Shineta directly in the nose, drawing first blood in the battle.

Shineta slams into the ground, back first, from the force of Borokla's knee. Shineta takes a deep breath and slowly opens his eyes. He notices Borokla not advancing his attack. Shineta laughs as he says, "Ah, so you've noticed?"

Borokla smiles as he stands only two feet away from Shineta saying, "The beginning of this battle is almost exactly the same as our last training session. What happened there was as soon as you hit the ground I attacked. You parried and finished me with a tremendous blow to the back of the neck. I learn too."

The announcer's voice suddenly erupts over the arena. "Can we please speed this up? Yes you have shown impressive technical ability, but your battle is slower than a snail's pace." The crowd bursts into laughter.

Shineta turns to where he sees the announcer and turns back to Borokla saying, "Well let's just entertain them. Remember the continuous burn training we completed?"

Borokla smiles and takes a battle stance. He smiles at Shineta, and in an instant, both warriors disappear. They both reappear allowing the arena mob to see their bodies as they radiate energy.

Raging blue flames erupt from Borokla's body as a torrent of red flames erupts from Shineta. Shineta lashes out with a whirling roundhouse kick, which Borokla ducks beneath and launches a full body-extending uppercut. Shineta completes the rotation of the roundhouse, and instantly leaps into a backward somersault although his feet never touch the ground. As Shineta completes three full rotations of his somersault, and floats upright, Borokla leaps forward pushing off the air with incredible speed.

Borokla throws an overhead right hook that seems to connect with Shineta, but as Borokla's punch glances across Shineta's face, Shineta twists with Borokla's punch and extends his arm, striking Borokla across the back with the back of his fist.

Shineta's blow sends Borokla hurtling toward the arena wall, but just before he makes contact with the wall, Borokla vanishes and instantly appears above Shineta's head where he thrusts his body downward, slamming both his feet down into Shineta. However, just before Borokla's attack connects, Shineta crosses his arms above his head, allowing the brunt of Borokla's attack to land on his crossed forearms. Even though the attack is ineffective, the force of the blow is great enough to kick up a dust cloud large enough to cover the arena floor.

In the dust cloud Shineta and Borokla let their powers explode causing their auras to burn even brighter. Through the thick dust, Shineta and Borokla's auras burn brightly enough to be visible through the dust. A red flaming aura bounces continually off the blue flaming aura, and vice-versa. For nearly two minutes, the speed of the flaming auras is blinding. They ricochet off each other first red then blue. Then spectacle of the two powerful warriors battling in the dust cloud has the arena in utter disarray. Never before had two warriors fought in the complete darkness of a dust cloud for such an extended period. Their raging auras tell their locations and the speed with which they move is not only impressive, but also mesmerizing. Their speed is so mesmerizing that once the dust cloud forms not a single Saiyan seated in the arena says a word.

Noticing the silence, Borokla says in the dust, "I've had enough." Then with an extreme burst of power, his blue aura nearly doubles in size, and he charges at Shineta.

Shineta notices Borokla's increase in power output and increases his to an equal level. However, just before the two meet, Borokla's aura grows even more and the two warrior's auras collide in the dust. Borokla's fist connects with Shineta's chin as their auras merge into a raging purple flame. The sheer force of Borokla's blow, generates enough energy to form shockwave that instantaneously expels the dust cloud from the arena.

Without the dust cloud, the arena crowd clearly sees Borokla's combo. After connecting with the overhand right hook, he continues his swing causing him to spin. He uses the rotation from the spin to throw an elbow toward Shineta. The elbow connects with Shineta's jaw sending him staggering back. Borokla then vanishes and reappears to Shineta's left, where he executes a spinning jump kick that connects with Shineta's chest sending him flying.

Borokla again vanishes and appears in Shineta's trajectory. He then launches a flying knee that connects with Shineta's lower back. As Shineta crashes into Borokla's knee, he shrieks in pain, and Borokla leaps into the sky and slams his feet into Shineta's chest until they crash into the ground. Shineta coughs blood as he lays motionless on the ground.

With Shineta out of commission, Borokla leaps off of Shineta's chest and begins walking toward Shineta's still body. Borokla says, "You should have understood master, that I didn't even use a third of my true power as we trained. What you just saw was ninety percent of my true power, and I've already put you down." He arrives at Shineta's side and puts his foot on Shineta's chest. Lifting his hands into the air, he shouts in victory to the arena, "Ask yourself now. Who had the greatest battle? Our Lord" he said sarcastically, "Or your future lord?"

The crowd erupts in boos and jeers, as Borokla takes his foot off Shineta's chest. However, as he lifts his foot, Shineta opens his eyes and grabs Borokla's ankle. Startled by Shineta's actions, Borokla loses his balance and falls to the ground. As Borokla hits the ground, Shineta shifts his weight and rises into the sky, holding Borokla by the ankle.

Borokla feels himself rising higher and higher and begins building energy in his right palm. As more and more energy builds, the blast forming in Borokla's hand begins to pulsate. With an incredible release, a decimating torrent of energy rages from his hand completely engulfing Shineta.

Borokla feels himself be released by Shineta, but notices that he isn't falling, instead he is rising with incredible velocity. Shineta hadn't dropped him, Shineta threw him to an incredible height. As Borokla's torrent of energy dissipated, the crowd can plainly see Shineta smile. In a red blaze, Shineta bursts vertically into the sky until he reaches Borokla's body. Shineta quickly extends his leg and brings it down onto Borokla's shoulder. The force of the blow dislocates Borokla's shoulder and sends him tumbling toward the ground.

As Borokla descends, he feels Shineta's arms reach around his waist. In a sudden boost, Shineta causes Borokla to further accelerate toward the ground. Around five meters from the ground, Shineta releases him and Borokla. Borokla's speed causes him to bounce off of the ground with earthshaking intensity.

As his body rises, from his bounce, Shineta appears next to Borokla. He then punches Borokla with a force powerful enough to generate a shockwave that cracks the very stone of arena seats. From Shineta's punch Borokla's body rockets into the arena wall. The shockwave from Shineta's punch cracked the arena seats, but Borokla's body slams into the arena walls causing the walls and the stands to implode into itself.

However, before the rubble crumbles on top of Borokla's body, Shineta quickly pulls him back into the middle of the arena. He throws Borokla back to the center of the arena floor and commences a pummeling of epic proportions. With each punch the earth shakes, Left hook, right hook, left hook, right hook, left hook, right hook, left hook, right hook, left, right, and with one final blow, a left straight directly into Borokla's chest, the fight ends. Blood pours from the corner of Borokla's mouth, and Shineta stands to his feet panting, yet victorious.

Shineta looks to the ground and sees Borokla's cheeks and face purple and black. With Borokla's chest cavity a deep red, Shineta kneels next to Borokla's body and says, "HEEEEEELLLLLLLLPPPPPPP! HEEEELLLLLLLLPPPPPP! I NEED HELP! PLEASE SOMEONE BRING HELP!."

As the battle ends, the announcer's voice comes over the entire arena saying, "BY MUSHARU! WHAT A WONDERFUL MATCH! Though the ending didn't come out as clean as we are used to, these two warriors have shown a truly beautiful fight. Looks like the farmer couldn't keep up." The arena bursts into laughter as the announcer concludes.

Holding Borokla near his chest, Shineta hears the announcers crude and insensitive remark, and stands to his feet holding Borokla with his arms beneath Borokla's knees and neck. Panic mutates into fury, while Shineta, still holding Borokla, turns his hands toward each other. Between his hands a glowing elliptical mass of energy begins to swell. He turns in the announcer's direction and shouts, "HOW DARE YOU!"

Shineta begins to release the mass of energy, but just before his energy rages, Vegeta appears next to him places his hand on Shineta's shoulder. Distracted, Shineta's energy blast dissipates, and he turns his head toward Vegeta. "What do you want?" Shineta says as rage pours from his very being.

Vegeta looks to Shineta with disgust saying, "Place the warrior on the ground. You shame him by holding him as a babe."

Shineta places Borokla on the ground and says, "There is no shame in showing compassion to a comrade."

"No there is not, but there is shame in making an opponent believe that he is stronger than he truly is. Just by witnessing the end of your match, I could tell that you were holding back significantly throughout the entirety of your match. There is no honor in defeating a weaker opponent without using the fullness of your strength."

Shineta says, "You must gauge your opponent to ensure that you do not destroy him."

Vegeta laughs and says, "I see, and how did that work out for you. You gauged his strength to be greater than it was, and now here we stand; your comrade dying, and you shrieking in distress in front of the entire race. How could they follow you, when they see that in your compassion will see you lower yourself beyond their level? This is a warrior race. Death is expected, and when it comes celebrated. Remove yourself from the arena. My people shall attend to him."

Shineta nods his head, turns, and walks away. Vegeta lifts Borokla's limp body and Cinnatos, Tunipe, and Paprik quickly rush into his path. Cinnatos falls to one knee and says, "My lord Vegeta, allow me to carry this fallen warrior. He fought boldly though his opponent did not do so."

Vegeta nods and hands Borokla over to Cinnatos. He turns back to Shineta as he walks from the arena, saying, "Warrior, if you try that with me… gauging my power. You will find yourself dead and broken on the arena floor, by my hand." He turns and walks next to Cinnatos as he carries Borokla from the arena.


End file.
